Tag: jazz improvisation

This website contains lessons in jazz and fusion improvisation for the guitar and all other musical instruments.

Alternate Picking 16th’s Mclaughlin/Coltrane jazz/fusionguitar “Tetrachord” Style.

Posted on by Jazz fusion guitar Improvisation lessons and modern music theory
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Alternate Picking 16hts Mclaughlin/Coltrane jazz/fusionguitar “Tetrachord” Style

In this final part of alternate picking guitar techniques for jazz fusion improvisation. We again look at the style of John Mclaughlin in order to play through the changes with 4 groups of 4, or 4 tetrachords per bar.

Alternate Picking 16ths Mclaughlin/Coltrane jazz/fusionguitar “Tetrachord” Style

Alternate picking tetrachords all start on a downstroke.

Alternate Picking 16ths Mclaughlin/Coltrane jazz/fusionguitar “Tetrachord” Style

First 4 note grouping[1st Tetrachord]:

Alternate Picking 4x4 Groupings Mclaughlin/Coltrane guitar "Tetrachord" Style
Alternate Picking 16ths Mclaughlin/Coltrane jazz/fusionguitar “Tetrachord” Style

Second 4 note grouping [2 Tetrachords]

Alternate Picking 4x4 Groupings Mclaughlin/Coltrane guitar "Tetrachord" Style
Alternate Picking 16ths Mclaughlin/Coltrane jazz/fusionguitar “Tetrachord” Style

Third 4 note grouping of 16ths alternate picking [3 Tetrachords]

Alternate Picking 4x4 Groupings Mclaughlin/Coltrane guitar "Tetrachord" Style
Alternate Picking 16hts Mclaughlin/Coltrane jazz/fusionguitar “Tetrachord” Style

Finally, 4 groups of 4 [or 4 Tetrachords].

Alternate Picking 4x4 Groupings Mclaughlin/Coltrane guitar "Tetrachord" Style
Alternate Picking 16ths Mclaughlin/Coltrane jazz/fusionguitar “Tetrachord” Style

We can now apply this to playing through complex chord changes at a fast tempo. In the example below we will take John Coltrane’s “Countdown” and play one chord per beat as an example for setting up these 4 x 4 note groupings [Tetrachords]for quick rapid improvisation at a super fast tempo.

Alternate Picking 4x4 Groupings Mclaughlin/Coltrane guitar "Tetrachord" Style
Alternate Picking 16ths Mclaughlin/Coltrane jazz/fusionguitar “Tetrachord” Style

Simple 4 note tetrachord pattern for reference:

Alternate Picking 16hts Mclaughlin/Coltrane jazz/fusionguitar “Tetrachord” Style

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Sextuplets John Mclaughlin guitar style into 4+2 Alternate Picking

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Sextuplets John Mclaughlin guitar style into 4+2 Alternate Picking

In this post we will go one further than the last post. This time we will take a group of six [Sextuplets] and make a tetrachord and a half from it.

This will make 4+ 2 which will make us nail the changes with 4 notes on the first chord and 2 notes on the second chord with a short rest to reset our fretting hand to repeat the pattern again on the next two chords.

Alternate picking exercise warm up in Sextuplets/Triplets

Sextuplets John Mclaughlin guitar style into 4+2 Alternate Picking

Why do this?

Because the groups of six are quite easy to play on the guitar and there a heaps of variations on each pattern. They flow easily and can be alternate picked rhythmically to create musical phrasing.

The first pattern for playing through the changes in Sextuplets

Sextuplets John Mclaughlin guitar style into 4+2 Alternate Picking

The first pattern is now changed into 16ths. From 1 2 3 4 5 6 into 1 e and a 2 e

Sextuplets John Mclaughlin guitar style into 4+2 Alternate Picking

The second part of the chord sequence in sextuplets

Sextuplets John Mclaughlin guitar style into 4+2 Alternate Picking

The second pattern is now changed into 16ths. From 1 2 3 4 5 6 into 1 e and a 2 e

Sextuplets John Mclaughlin guitar style into 4+2 Alternate Picking

Finally, the full one bar alternate picking chord sequence nailing the changes

Sextuplets John Mclaughlin guitar style into 4+2 Alternate Picking

VARIATION:

Sextuplets John Mclaughlin guitar style into 4+2 Alternate Picking

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Dorian Flat 2 Mode “Improvisation” Techniques

Posted on by Jazz fusion guitar Improvisation lessons and modern music theory
Dorian b2 Mode of the Melodic Minor Scale

Dorian b2 Mode

C Dorian b2 Mode

Two octaves; Tab and Notation

To Begin with let’s look at the arpeggios of the Dorian b2 mode. Notice the Two Major arpeggios.

Dorian b2 Mode Arpeggios

They are E flat Major and F Major

We can immediately make Triad Pairs from them

Dorian b2 Triad Pairs

Going the opposite way

Dorian b2 triad pairs

We can Sharpen the 5th and create a more exotic and colourful sound

Dorian b2 triad pairs

We can add Gm7b5 and Am7b5 to the Major or F aug arpeggio

Dorian b2 Triad/Arpeggios

We can employ the B flat minor 9 major 7th arpeggio

Dorian b2 Melodic Minor

Here we can add it to the F major arpeggio

Dorian b2 Melodic Minor

It is an even better idea to start the B flat minor 9 major 7th arpeggio on the tonic note of C

Dorian b2 Mode melodic minor

Here we will extend the Am7b5 part of the line

Am7b5 for Dorian b2 Mode

We can also make scales from the mode. Below is an example of creating a scale and then adding harmonic content with wider intervals like triads.

Making scales form Dorian b2 Mode

Making our own pentatonic scales from the mode works really well also.

Pentatonic from Dorian b2 Mode

Here is a short sus4 and aug Lick

Dorian b2 Mode lick

Another short lick

These are the basic chords of the Dorian b2 mode

Dorian b2 Mode Chords

Of course we can change the chords to make them more exotic and colourful

Dorian b2 mode chord variations

We also have the typical jazz fusion chords contained within the Dorian flat 2 mode of the melodic minor scale

Dorian b2 Chordal ideas

Below we create a very exotic colourful “‘al la” John Mclaughlin sound!

Dorian b2 mode chordal idea

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Chromatic Displacement?

Posted on by Jazz fusion guitar Improvisation lessons and modern music theory 
As an antidote to enclosure here we look at some easy developing chromatic ideas for improvisation.

These ideas follow a basic 4 note D chromatic scale to an F arpeggio. They then move into a variation.

Idea 1

chromatic displacement for jazz improvisation

Idea 2

chromatic displacement for jazz improvisation

Idea 3

chromatic displacement for jazz improvisation

Idea 4

chromatic displacement for jazz improvisation
chromatic displacement for jazz improvisation

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Dave Liebman: A chromatic approach to jazz harmony and melody.

Posted on by Jazz fusion guitar Improvisation lessons and modern music theory

[These are my own concepts taken from Dave Liebmans Brilliant Book A chromatic approach to jazz]

This first idea is a simple way of weaving in and out of unrelated harmony.

Here the C natural slides into the C# and then into an F# arpeggio which then revolves by letting the C# fall back into the C natural of the F major arpeggio with a flat 5 resolving to the fourth.

Dave Liebman A Chromatic approach to jazz harmony

The next example is an extended line with a substitution of a substitution creating chromatic interest.

Dave Liebman concept of chromatic jazz harmony

VARIATION:

LONGPNE

Below we see a concept of weaving through two different key centres. Thinking F for D minor and then through F# and sidestepping back to resolve the line.

Dave Liebman chromatic approach to jazz idea

VARTIATION

A chromatic Dave Liebman concept

VARIATION

A chromatic approach to jazz harmony and melody Dave Liebman concept

Flat 5 substitution. D minor and A flat major.

flat 5 substitution b5 sub Dave Liebman Chromatic approach to jazz line

VARIATION:

B5

Dave Liebmans book is an excellent and inspiring means of absorbing chromatic improvisational knowledge and ideas for your own playing.

511-P62qKeL copy

I am not promoting this book. But I am very grateful for its existence and for its powerful inspiration to me on a daily basis. Anyway, below is a brief overview.

This book should be seen as a method to help the artist to develop his or her own way when trying to improvise chromatically. Through the concepts and examples offered, the improvisor should be able to use this material alongside already familiar tonal ideas. Specifically, the book serves as a guide for organizing chromaticism into a coherent musical statement meant to satisfy both the intellectual and emotional needs of artistic creation.
The reader will be introduced to more than one way of conceiving chromatic lines and harmonies. There is nothing theoretically complex or new in the text, it is the organization of the material as well as many musical examples and transcriptions (Bach, Scriabin, Coltrane, Shorter, Hancock, Beirach, Liebman a.o.) which should serve to inspire musicians to expand their usual diatonic vocabulary.
This book also provides insight into the style of playing that David Liebman is known for. In addition the book contains 100 assorted solo lines and 100 chord voicings.

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